I had never heard of Pot Au Feu until watching the "Create" channel. We seriously only get four channels at our house and Create is one of them, lucky for me. Rick Steves and I are BFFs. Anyway, Hubert Keller was on and he was making a giant, whole vegetable and animal meat dish. My furry friends being cooked up for me to eat, I could do without but the rest of the dish; carrots, baby potatoes, celery, and cabbage...well that all looked right up my alley.

It was a shrewd calculation. An estimated 12 percent of millennials say they are “faithful vegetarians,” compared with 4 percent of Gen X’ers and 1 percent of baby boomers, according to one study.

— Sam Tanenhaus from The New York Times

This recipe is inspired by Chef Keller and his Pot Au Feu. It's a classic french dish that is traditionally served with mustard, salt, and bread. It's essentially whole vegetables and a protein simmered in a broth with spices and herbs. I used tempeh as a protein instead of adorable cows.

Pot Au Feu is shockingly quick and easy to make since the vegetables need really very little prep and as far as ingredients go, it's quite simple. While simmering, it filled the whole house with a comforting, savory smell that made my mouth water.

Although, I did exhibit a bit of unfortunate planning. You see, it's been raining for a week straight up here in Alaska and I knew this would be the perfect meal to warm my wet and chilled bones. A great introduction into early fall. Except....yesterday it was hot! Exceptionally hot. So hot that on my lunch break at a nearby lake, I had to leave early because I'm pretty sure I was experiencing heat stroke.

Either way, this vegan Pot Au Feu was a no-frills, delicious dish. Hearty and filling.

You see that rutabaga there on the bottom right? I (not thinking clearly) threw that bad boy in too. Don't do that. It was unapologetically bitter.

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Vegan Pot Au Feu

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-20-2014

This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat. Pot Au Feu was enjoyed by royalty and peasants alike. It’s very easy, quick, and exceptionally adaptable. Note that vegetables like rutabaga and brussels sprouts should be avoided because they can turn bitter when cooked this way. Adapted from Chef Hubert Keller.

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved

6 whole cloves

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced

2 springs of fresh parsley

2 springs of fresh thyme

2 springs of fresh oregano

2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

2 celery stalks, cut in half

2 large carrots, cut in half

½ kohlrabi, peeled and halved

½ small head of cabbage, halved

1/2 lb. mixed baby potatoes, whole

1 8 oz. package of tempeh, quartered in triangles

4 cups vegetable broth

1 dried bay leaf

¼ cup stone ground mustard, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Once the onion is prepared, cut off a small chunk of the bottom and stuff in the whole cloves. Place the onion halves and clove stuffed bottom in a large pressure cooker or soup pot.Prepare the leeks by first slicing them in half down the middle and washing in between each leaf very well to remove all the dirt. Then, chop off the roots and remove one outer leaf. Gather the fresh herbs in a small bundle and wrap the leek leaf around the herbs to create a bouquet garni. Slice the remainder of the leeks, leaving about an inch of the green tops to discard. Place the herb bundle and sliced leeks in the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and heat over high until simmering. Don't worry if the broth doesn't cover all the vegetables. Cover with the pressure cooker lid and bring to pressure. Then turn to low and maintain pressure. Cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender, but not falling apart. If using a soup pot, bring almost to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with stone ground mustard, coarse salt and bread if you like.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 6

German Word of The Day

Peasant --> Bauer (yep, like Eddie Bauer)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article from the NYT about us Millennials. Seriously, it's very interesting and inspiring,